WO1988004040A1 - Electronic clinical thermometer - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic clinical thermometer in which at least a temperature detecting portion or the whole electronic thermometer has such a flexible structure as to be fitted to any part of the surface of the body and which is capable of automatically measuring the body temperature or the temperature of the surface of the body for extended periods of time. The thermometer preferably comprises a power-source cell and a thermometric storage circuit which stores in the memory the temperature data obtained from a temperature sensing portion at predetermined periods, and which reads the temperature data stored in the memory in response to data reading requests from outside to send the temperature data from a predetermined signal fetching portion to an external unit. These portions and circuits are mounted on a flexible circuit substrate, and the whole structure of the electronic clinical thermometer is hermetically covered with a flexible, heat-insulating covering member except the temperature sensing portion and the signal fetching portion.

Description

 Description Title of the Invention Electronic thermometer TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electronic thermometer, which has a flexible structure so that at least the temperature sensor or the entire electronic thermometer can be adapted to any part of the body surface, and has a long-term body temperature or body surface. The present invention relates to an electronic thermometer capable of automatically measuring temperature. 2. Description of the Related Art A conventional electronic thermometer has a solid temperature measuring part in a solid rod shape, and the temperature measuring part is inserted and fixed in a specific part such as an armpit, a rectum, or a mouth to measure a temperature. Therefore, the thermometer or the entire electronic thermometer lacked a flexible structure, and the body could not move freely during the measurement. In addition, when measuring the temperature of a part other than the above, for example, the surface of the body, it is extremely difficult to fix the temperature measurement part to the body surface due to its shape.

In addition, conventional electronic thermometers sequentially display the measurement results of body temperature on a display device such as a liquid crystal, so that the daily change in body temperature is measured. In such a case, it was necessary to visually record the displayed temperature, and the handling became complicated, and there was a possibility that the temperature could be incorrectly recorded. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device having a flexible structure such that at least the temperature sensing unit or the entire electronic thermometer can be adapted to any part of the body surface. To provide a thermometer.

 Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic thermometer capable of automatically measuring and recording body temperature or body surface temperature for a long time with a simple configuration. . ―

 In order to achieve the above object, an electronic thermometer according to the present invention includes: a flexible substrate; an electronic circuit element including a temperature sensing portion sensitive to body temperature, which is mounted on the flexible substrate; And a flexible and heat-insulating covering member for covering the electronic circuit element and the electronic circuit element except for the temperature-sensitive part.

 Also, preferably, in one embodiment, an attaching means for fixing the temperature measuring section is provided on the outer surface of the covering member.

 In one embodiment, the electronic circuit element is a temperature-sensitive element such as a chip thermistor.

Preferably, the electronic circuit element is a tube thermistor or the like. One embodiment of the present invention includes a thermosensitive cow and a temperature measuring electronic circuit element that measures a body temperature based on body temperature information from the thermosensitive element and outputs a corresponding temperature signal.

 In order to achieve the above objectives, the electronic thermometer based on the date and time of the first day accumulates in a memory the power battery and temperature data obtained by detecting the temperature sensor at predetermined intervals, and from the outside. A temperature measurement storage circuit for reading temperature data stored in the memory in response to the data read request of the above and outputting the read temperature data to the outside from a signal extraction unit; and a flexible circuit including the power supply battery and the temperature measurement storage circuit. A flexible, heat-insulating covering member that hermetically covers the power supply battery, the temperature measurement storage circuit, and the flexible circuit board except for the temperature sensing section and the signal extraction section. Overview.

 Also, preferably, the temperature measurement and accumulation circuit stops the temperature accumulation by accumulating the temperature data up to a predetermined address of the memory.

 Also, preferably, the temperature measurement and accumulation circuit stops accumulation of the temperature by accumulating a predetermined number of temperature data.

 Preferably, the signal extracting portion is provided so as to face the outer surface via a covering member.

 In one embodiment, the signal extraction section is preferably formed of a member that transmits an optical signal.

In one embodiment, the signal extraction unit is preferably formed of a member that emits a radio signal. · In one embodiment, preferably, a sticking means for fixing the electronic thermometer is provided on the outer surface of the covering part village. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 (A) Top view of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment according to the date of origin

 FIG. 1 (B) is a sectional view taken along the line bb of FIG. 1 (A),

 FIG. 1 (C) is a bottom view of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment according to the present invention,

 FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment according to the present invention.

 FIG. 3 is an operation timing chart of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment according to the present invention,

 FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic thermometer according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

 FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic thermometer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 6 is an operation timing chart of the electronic thermometer of the second embodiment according to the firewood invention,

FIG. 7 (A) is a perspective view of the external appearance of an electronic thermometer according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 (B) is a sectional view of the probe of FIG. 7 (A). Fig. 8 is a block diagram of the electronic thermometer of the fourth embodiment according to the present invention. Diagram,

 FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an external device in the receiving station. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

 [First embodiment]

 FIG. 1 (A) is a top view of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 (B) is a sectional view taken along line bb of FIG. 1 (A), and FIG. () Is a bottom view of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment. In the top view of Fig. 1 (A), 1 is a flexible and heat-insulating mounting member, in which the electronic components of the electronic thermometer are mounted, and the flexible structure of the entire electronic thermometer is provided. Hold. For example, blister urethane is used as such a material. Reference numeral 2 denotes a connector for taking out temperature data measured and accumulated by the electronic thermometer. Numeral 3 is a power supply for the electronic thermometer, which is preferably replaceable or rechargeable, and if it is replaceable, a film-type lithium battery (LB) is preferred.

In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 (B), 4 is an LSIC (C-0S) in which an electronic circuit described later is housed in one chip, and includes a temperature measuring circuit described later, a temperature data storage circuit, and the like. . 5 ho chip changing the temperature sensitive resistance R _th in accordance with the temperature change thermistor - with data is there. Reference numeral 6 denotes a flexible board that flexibly holds and electrically connects electronic components. As such a flexible substrate material, polyimide, polyester, polybarabanic acid, glass epoxy, and the like are used. Reference numeral 7 denotes a disposable type double-sided table (sticking surface) that is directly attached to the skin on the body surface. The electronic thermometer, which is composed of the double-sided tape 7 and the flexible substrate 6 and the covering member 1 and has a flexible structure as a whole, can be adapted to the shape of the desired temperature measurement site and adhered to the body surface.

 In the bottom view of the first H (C), the temperature sensing part of the chip thermistor 5 comes into contact with the body surface through an opening 7a provided substantially at the center of the sticking surface 7, and detects the body temperature. At this time, the heat insulating mount member 1 effectively shuts off the tube thermistor 5 from the external temperature to enable accurate temperature measurement of the body surface. In addition, various diameters of the electronic thermometer can be manufactured in consideration of a place to be stuck, handling of the connector 2, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an operation timing chart of each embodiment. The same components as those in FIGS. 1 (A) to 1 (C) are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. In the block diagram of FIG. 2, reference numeral 41 denotes an oscillation circuit for generating the reference clock signal Fs, X denotes a crystal oscillator for stabilizing the oscillation frequency of the reference clock signal Fs, and 42 denotes a reference clock. A timing circuit that divides the signal Fs to generate a data sampling signal SG for temperature data and a pulse signal WP for writing data to the memory described later. An AZD conversion unit that detects the temperature-sensitive resistance value R _th of the chip thermistor 5 at the timing of the SG and converts this into the digital temperature writing temperature data WD. from outside and stores the measurement start time data input and after the start of the measurement to the data sampling was the temperature data WD or a predetermined number of storage to the predetermined address random access memo Li (RAM), ^{4 5} is the RAM 4 4 An address counter that controls the read / write address. As described above, the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment has a flexible structure so that the entire electronic thermometer can be adapted to an arbitrary part of the body surface, and it is easy and easy to measure the body temperature or the body surface temperature for a long time. It can be done reliably.

 The operation of the electronic thermometer of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the timing chart of FIG. When the lithium battery 3 is inserted into the electronic clinical thermometer, the oscillation circuit 41 oscillates and outputs the reference clock signal Fs of the reference frequency. The timing circuit 42 divides the reference clock signal F s and outputs a data sampling signal SG having a predetermined pulse width at a rate of, for example, once a minute. Outputs data write pulse signal WP of temperature data WD.

The temperature detection circuit of the A / D conversion section 43 is a multivibrator circuit composed of a capacitor, a resistor R-, a chip thermistor 5, and an inverter circuit I. The oscillation clock frequency F _th changes in accordance with the change in the temperature-sensitive resistance value R _th of the chip thermistor 5 that responds to the body temperature.

F th = KX 1 / (C-R th)-- Given by Counter circuit 4 3 1 counts Tosuru the oscillation clock signal F _th time only Titles Bureta circuit having a predetermined pulse width of the data-sampling signal SG. Therefore, temperature data WD almost proportional to the detected temperature can be obtained from the power counter circuit 431. The temperature data WD is written to the RAM 44 in accordance with the data address signal ADD (for example, n) of the address counter 45 output. The data write pulse signal WP enables the writing of temperature data WD to the RAM 44, and the content of the address counter 45 is incremented by 1 at the falling edge of the data write pulse signal WP. Thus, each temperature data WD is sequentially stored in the RAM 44. The RAM 4 ⁴ - the storage is full (contents ADD e.g. add-Rhesca counter 4 5 predetermined address N) of the temperature data becomes, mouth first level of the gate signal FULL from the add-less counter 4 5 is outputted, the Gate signal FULL Stops the above data storage operation of timing circuit 42. In this case, if the storage of the temperature data is always started from the address "0", the gate signal FULL stops the data accumulation operation when the RAM 44 stores a predetermined number of temperature data WD. In any case, this prevents the write address to RAM 44 from recycling and corrupting previously accumulated temperature data. Therefore, the temperature data accumulated in the RAM 44 after the start of measurement is not lost until the temperature data is read from outside the electronic thermometer.

External temperature data is read out to connector 2 at the specified cape. To connect. When the read gate signal RG applied from the outside through the connector 2 is set to low level, the RAM 44 enters the data read mode. In addition, the other is kept by Lehigh level (data write mode) the work of Buruadzubu resistance R _P. The connecting connectors 2 and RAM 4 4 data bus line R / W - D are connected by a bus structure of 8-bit bi-directional example, when RAM 4 4 is a data read mode from RAM 4 ⁴ Read temperature data RD becomes valid on bus line R-D. For example, if the address counter 45 is stopped at its maximum count value N in the immediately preceding data write mode, a dummy data read pulse signal SP is sent from the outside via the connector 2. As a result, the contents of the address counter 45 are incremented by 1 and the data address signal ADD returns to the address "0". As a result, the temperature data RD at the address "0" is output to the bus line R_W-D of the connector 2, so that an external device (not shown) can capture the temperature data RD. Next, when an external data read pulse signal SP is sent, the temperature data RD at address "0" is captured, and the contents of the address counter 45 are incremented by 1 at the trailing edge of the data read pulse signal SP, and the data address is read. The address signal ADD becomes "1". The external device sends the next data read pulse signal SP to capture this temperature data RD. By sending the dummy data read pulse signal SP, the function of stopping the operation of the timing circuit 42 by the gate signal FULL is released. Pulse signal WP The reading of all temperature data RD can be completed sufficiently before the first data write pulse signal WP is generated. The last reading of the accumulated temperature data again causes the low level of the gate signal FULL to occur, stopping the operation of the timing circuit 42 and returning to the initial state.

 Preferably, the first temperature data at the start of the measurement should always be stored at address "0" of RAM 44, and the temperature data at the end of the measurement should be stored at the last address of RAM 44. For this reason, the gate signal FULL is normally set to the mouth level when the entire temperature data RD is read, and the electronic thermometer is left in this state when not in use thereafter. In general, the power consumption of a C-MOS type IC chip is extremely low when it is manufactured, so it is convenient for the lithium battery 3 to be left in this state. Then, when using the electronic thermometer after being left again, for example, a cable is temporarily connected to the connector 2 and one dummy data read pulse signal SP is sent. As a result, the subsequently sampled temperature data is written from address "0" of RAM 44. In addition, if the electronic thermometer that has read the temperature data externally is used immediately without leaving it, the data read pulse signal SP is sent one minute at the time of reading the temperature data RD. As a result, the gate signal FULL is released, and the timing circuit 42 starts operating again.

The electronic thermometer of the first embodiment according to the date There is a starting method. This is a method in which the measurement start time data is written in advance from the external device to, for example, the address “0” of the RAM 44 when the measurement is started. For this purpose, the cable is temporarily connected to connector 2 and the contents of the address counter 45 are incremented by 1 by sending a dummy data read pulse signal SP from an external device, and the data address signal is output. ADD becomes "0" address. Next, by temporarily setting the read gate signal RG from the external device to the high level, the RAM 44 enters the data write mode. As a result, the measurement start time data supplied from the external device becomes valid on the data bus line RW-D. At that time, in order to prevent the temperature data WD from being written from the counter circuit 431, for example, a three-state circuit is used as an output circuit of the counter circuit 431. Then, the data sampling signal SG may be gated to the three-state circuit. As a result, while the data sampling signal SG is not at the logic "1" level, the output signal line of the temperature data WD becomes high impedance. Next, when a data read pulse signal SP for writing the measurement start time data is sent from the external device, the measurement start time data is written to the address "0", and the address reading is performed at the falling edge of the data read pulse signal sp. The contents of the counter 45 are incremented by 1 and the data address signal ADD becomes "1". The time disconnect the cable from the connector 2 in the Buruadzubu resistor R RAM 4 4 Ri by the action of _P keeps the data write mode, temperature data WD is written from "1" address continue to as described above. Thus, the temperature data is stored in the external device. When reading out the RD, it is sufficient to make a note that the measurement start time data is stored in the address "H".

 It is easy to know how long the temperature data WD of RAM44 will be available if this electronic thermometer is used. For example, if the data sampling period is 1 minute and the predetermined value N of the address counter 45 is 3600, it will be 12 hours after the start of measurement. The electronic thermometer may be removed from the body surface during the measurement. Also, if the measurement start time is known externally, or if the measurement start time data is written into the RAM 4, all the read temperature data RD and the temperature data WD are one-to-one at the time when each temperature was sampled. Corresponding. Therefore, this electronic thermometer can be used in large quantities and is well adapted from a data management point of view, as it is incorporated into large-scale diagnostic management systems such as hospitals.

 Note that a switch circuit may be provided in series with the lithium battery 3, or a signal circuit RS or the like may be provided so that the contents of the address counter 45 can be set at any time from outside. However, the electronic thermometer according to the present invention can be easily incorporated into a certain diagnostic management system because of its compactness, simple function, and low cost, such as simultaneous measurement of multiple temperatures of the human body, rather than making it functionally mischievous. Fully demonstrate its power in the system

 [Second embodiment]

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of an electronic thermometer of a second embodiment according to the present invention. The feature of the second embodiment is that a high-speed and safe state (electrical- Temperature data in a state in which the temperature data is insulated). Note that components equivalent to those in FIGS. 1 (A;) to (C) are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In the partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, 21 is a transparent glass member that transmits optical signals and seals the connector of the electronic thermometer, and 22 is a phototransistor (PHT) that receives optical signals from external devices. r :), 23 is a semiconductor light emitting element (LED) that sends an optical signal to an external device, and 24 is an optical fiber cable connecting the electronic thermometer and the external device. By doing so, it becomes possible to make the electronic thermometer itself a completely waterproof structure in combination with the other waterproof structure of this electronic thermometer, so that disinfection is easy and complete. In addition, this electronic thermometer can make the connector part very small, and can reduce the size of the whole electronic thermometer. Also, the connection of the optical fiber cable is easy. For example, the temperature data can be read only by contacting the tip of the optical fiber cable with the transparent member on the glass member. Therefore, the operation of acquiring temperature data from a large number of electronic thermometers becomes extremely easy.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic thermometer according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an operation timing chart thereof. The difference from the block configuration shown in FIG. 2 is that, in the second embodiment, since the optical communication system is used with an external device, the 8-bit parallel read temperature data RD is stored in a parallel serial ( PS) The interface circuit 47 converts the data into serial data and outputs the serial temperature data SRD to an external device. For this reason, the timing circuit 42 'outputs a shift clock signal Fc. - In the operation timing chart of FIG. 6, when a data read pulse signal RP is input from an external device, the read temperature data RD from the RAM 44 is supplied to the PS interface circuit 47 by the rise of the signal RP. Latch. Then, the shift clock signal Fc shifts out the temperature data RD and the like latched in the PS interface circuit 47 from the MSB or the LSB in order. However, the data read pulse signal RP and the shift clock signal Fc are generally not synchronized. Therefore, the external device does not know when the first serial data bit is valid. Therefore, the pattern of the serial bit that always appears first, T, for example, a logical "1" level start bit S and a subsequent logical "0" level start bit S 'are added to the beginning of each 8-bit temperature data RD. . In this way, the external device can recognize the existence of the start bit pattern by detecting the first falling point of the serial data level after sending the data read pulse signal RP, and can recognize the presence of the start bit pattern. Synchronized. By the way, since the data read pulse signal RP sent first by the external device is a dummy signal (for example, the temperature data at the address to be read is ignored as the temperature data). The initial synchronization can be obtained by the response from the electronic thermometer to the dummy signal, and thereafter, the external device can send the data read pulse signal RP in a manner almost synchronized with the predetermined shift clock signal Fc. is there. [Third embodiment]

 FIG. 7 (A) is an external perspective view of an electronic thermometer according to a third embodiment of the present invention. A feature of the third embodiment is that a flexible temperature detecting probe for accommodating the chip thermistor 105 and an electronic circuit for measuring the temperature and storing the detected temperature data are configured separately. In the external view of FIG. 7 (A), reference numeral 101 denotes a temperature measuring probe, in which a chip thermistor 105 is housed in a flexible and heat-insulating mount member. Reference numeral 102 denotes a connector for extracting the temperature data accumulated by the electronic thermometer to another external device or the like, and reference numeral 103 denotes a lithium battery as a power source. Reference numeral 104 denotes an electronic circuit board on which the one-chip type LSIC having the above-described temperature measurement and temperature / data storage functions is mounted.

 FIG. 7 (B) is a cross-sectional view of the temperature measuring probe of FIG. 7 (A). In the figure, the temperature sensing part of the chip thermistor 105 comes into contact with the body surface via an opening 107 provided at the center of the contact surface 108 with the skin to detect the temperature. At that time, the heat insulating mounting member 106 effectively shields the chip thermistor 105 from the external temperature, and enables accurate temperature measurement of the body surface.

 As described above, the electronic thermometer of the third embodiment has a flexible structure so that at least the temperature measuring probe 101, which is a temperature measuring unit, can adapt to an arbitrary part of the body surface, and the body temperature or the body surface over a long period of time. Automatic temperature measurement can be performed easily and reliably.

 [Fourth embodiment]

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an electronic thermometer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram. The feature of the fourth embodiment is that the temperature measurement data is immediately transmitted wirelessly to an external device. The same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In the block diagram of FIG. 8, reference numeral 84 denotes a DZA converter for converting the digital temperature data WD into an analog signal. This conversion timing is determined by a data write pulse generated by the timing circuit 42. Performed by signal WP. 8 5 This is a PWM modulation circuit that pulse width modulates the carrier signal based on the D / A converted analog temperature signal, and 8 6 Amplifies the PWM modulated signal and wirelessly transmits it to the receiving station from antenna 80. This is a transmission circuit.

 FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an external device in the receiving station. In the figure, a radio wave having information on temperature measurement data transmitted from an electronic thermometer is received by a receiving circuit 150, and then demodulated into an analog temperature signal by a PWM demodulation circuit 151. The digital temperature data is converted into digital temperature data by 5 2 and is taken into CPU 15 3.

 As described above, the electronic thermometer of the fourth embodiment transmits the temperature measurement data in real time, so that the receiving station can perform raw temperature monitoring and data management.

 As described above, the electronic thermometer according to the present invention has such flexibility that it can adapt to any temperature measuring part, so that the number of parts capable of measuring the temperature has been greatly increased.

In addition, the electronic thermometer according to the present invention can be fixed to an arbitrary measurement site by a sticking means such as a double-sided table or the like. The body temperature measurement of a part that can only be measured by the body can be measured under normal living conditions.

 Moreover, since the electronic thermometer preferably has a function of storing temperature data inside, it can measure the normal body temperature closer to the true value without imposing an extra psychological burden on the subject.

 Furthermore, from the above, this electronic thermometer can be applied not only to health management but also to other fields such as psychology.

Claims

The scope of the claims (1) A flexible substrate, an electronic circuit element including a temperature sensing portion sensitive to body temperature, which is mounted on the flexible substrate, and the flexible substrate and the electronic circuit element are connected to the temperature sensitive device. An electronic clinical thermometer comprising a flexible temperature detecting section as a whole, comprising a flexible and heat-insulating covering member covering a part except a part.  (2) An electronic body according to claim 1, wherein a sticking means for fixing the temperature measuring section is provided on an outer surface of the covering member.  (3) The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the electronic thermometer is a temperature-sensitive element such as a chip thermistor.  (4) The electronic circuit element is composed of a temperature sensitive element such as a chip thermistor and a temperature measuring electronic circuit element that measures the body temperature based on the body temperature information from the temperature sensitive element and outputs a corresponding temperature signal. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the electronic thermometer is characterized in that:  (5) Power battery and  The temperature data detected by the temperature sensing unit at predetermined intervals is stored in the memory, and the temperature data accumulated in the memory is read out in response to a data read request from the outside, and is output from the signal extracting unit to the outside. Thermometer storage circuit  A flexible circuit board on which the power supply battery and the temperature measurement storage circuit are mounted; The power supply battery, the temperature measurement storage circuit, and the flexible circuit An electronic thermometer, comprising: a flexible and heat-insulating covering member that hermetically covers the substrate except for the temperature sensing section and the signal extraction section.  (6) The electronic thermometer according to claim 5, wherein the temperature measurement and accumulation circuit stops accumulating the temperature by accumulating the temperature data up to a predetermined address of the memory.  (7) The electronic thermometer according to claim 5, wherein the temperature measurement and accumulation circuit stops accumulating the temperature by accumulating a predetermined number of temperature data.  (8) The electronic thermometer according to claim 5, wherein the signal extracting portion is provided facing the outer surface via the covering member. (9) The electronic thermometer according to claim 8, wherein the signal extracting unit is formed of a member that transmits an optical signal.  (10) The electronic thermometer according to claim 8, wherein the signal extracting section is formed of a member that emits a radio signal.  (11) The electronic thermometer according to claim 5, wherein a sticking means for fixing the electronic thermometer is provided on an outer surface of the covering member.